86

Another first-flush experience from Vahdam Teas. As others have noted, this one does not have a strong presence of muscatel grape to it, if any. The base of the tea is a woody, nutty body, from which there bounces some buttery, vegetal, and spice notes. The aftertaste maintains the woodiness and nuttiness, but there is substantial floral and fruity presence.

I don’t know how Darjeeling aficionados feel about the lack of the grape leaf/muscatel flavors, but frankly, I welcome it. It is nice to have an experience that is still easily identifiable as first-flush Darjeeling without being a cookie-cutter replica of the standard flavor profile.

This is the first tea I have had where the woodiness is complex, interesting, and tasty – like a good whiskey with good cask influence, or a nice oaky red wine.

A really nice, unique experience that has a great balance of savory and sweet.
*
Dry leaf – grapeleaf, sassafras, licorice, dried parsley, raw nut, peanut shell. In preheated vessel – roasted nut, wildflower honey, and stewed tart red fruit (red currant, raspberry)

Smell – raw nut, peanut shell, buttery vegetal (asparagus)

Taste – hardwood, raw nut, buttered green vegetables, buttered yeast roll, hints of cinnamon butter, fresh parsley, cilantro, sassafras. Aftertaste of orange flower, gummy fruit, red currant, dried date, and fruit leather.

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Rating info:
100 – I haven’t found the perfect tea yet!

92-95 – So good that I will purchase this tea again, guaranteed. Excellent flavor and value.

88-91 – A tea that I would consider purchasing again at some point. Great flavor and value.

85-87 – Tea that was worth the purchase and that I enjoyed drinking, although I probably won’t be purchasing it again any time soon. Flavor may have slight drawbacks, or the price might be a little expensive.

80-84 – A tea that has some good points, but falls a bit short on its price:quality ratio. Flavor is a bit mediocre.

No rating – I did not like this tea and would not drink it, given other options.

Location

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

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